In Part 2b we’re going to continue thinking about the all important question of the container or containers we want to bring our lunches in. The type of container that is ideal for you depends primarily on the types of foods you want to bring for lunch. This is one of the main reasons why I had you make a list of foods that you’d like to pack for lunch in Assignment 1. The food you want to pack should dictate the type and size of container you need, not the other way around.continue reading...

Hi Bento 101 followers! Hopefully you have at least gotten a start on the list of your favorite, bento/packed lunch-friendly foods as described in the first lesson. You may want to keep the list lying around and add to it as inspiration strikes. This approach works pretty well for me, and it’s actually how I think up up the bento-friendly recipes I add to this site.

Let’s move on to the next topic: what to put your bento lunch in. We will get into more detail about this next week, since many people in my experience get stuck on this point. Some people go out and get a bento box and find it too small, or too big, or just not usable for some reason. Others look at the tiny looking boxes pictured online and think, “no way am I going to be full eating just that”. Then there are people who want to lose or maintain their weights with bento lunches and think that getting a tiny one is the answer. In other words, there’s quite a bit of confusion. continue reading...

I’ve seen some discussion in the comments and elsewhere about whether the bento-friendly foods form posted with the first lesson can be used by vegans or vegetarians. I’m not a vegetarian myself, but I eat like one about 70% of the time, and I certainly think that the form is usable.

For lacto- or lacto-ovo vegetarians it’s pretty straightforward. You’d put things like cheese and other dairy products in the Protein column. continue reading...

Welcome to the first lesson of Bento 101: Getting Into The Bento Making Habit! As the course name implies, and as I outlined previously, this course is all about incorporating the bento making habit into your daily routine. continue reading...

Since the focus of this site is bentos for lunch, I’m always fascinated by the subject of lunch in general. An interesting article in the Washington Post appeared yesterday, about school lunches in Japan. continue reading...